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Gym Life and Overcoming Adversity

*Bio*

Super Moderator
Oct 30, 2012
2,454
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With my own spine issues, CG's brush with death and Jim550's recent spine surgery, it got me thinking about those in the community that have had to overcome adversity and still find their way back to the gym because it's a lifestyle that's ingrained in us.

My issues have been mainly spine problems since I was 17...it was Ankylosing Spondylitis which runs in my family but wasn't diagnosed until a couple of years ago. A cancer diagnosis got me in 2013 as well.

- L4-5, L5-s1 Laminectomy - 1998
- Diagnosed with Carcinoid Syndrome June 2013
- Surgery for Carcinoid Syndrome April 2014
- L4-5, L5-s1 Fusion - Dec 2014
- C5-6, C6-7 Fusion - Aug 2015
- Fractured T6 Vertebrae Late Oct/Early Nov 2015
- C7-T1 Fusion - June 2018
- C4-5 Foraminotomy & Laminectomy - Oct 2018
- C4-5 Noticed It Had Fused From Ankylosing Spondylitis with Follow Up Imaging
- L2-3 Microdiscectomy - Dec 2018
- As I listed above, I have Ankylosing Spondylitis. It's an auto immune disease that is an arthritis/inflammatory disease. It causes arthritis and fusions of the spine and and arthritis in other joints of the body. I take Humira for it.


What things have happened in your life that you've overcome and found your way back to the gym?

**EDIT** - Somehow I forgot about the fractured T6 vertebrae in late Oct/Early Nov in 2015. I added it in there. The doctor said to injure the thoracic it's usually a motorcycle accident, car accident, bad fall, something along those lines. The only thing they could think of would be a stress fracture. Not sure how. I was just getting ready to start PT for the cervical fusion and wasn't doing anything else. Now that I've been diagnosed with AS, that can cause fractures as well. I have a feeling that played a roll.
 
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pitshack

Registered User
Dec 10, 2014
98
0
6
Mine pales in comparison to yours but I have Ulcerative Colitis and it's actually kicking my fucking ass right now. I've bee on high dose Prednisone for 2 months and I can feel myself getting weaker from it. I've also been losing weight from the UC. Couple that with the fact that Prednisone makes my anxiety almost uncontrollable and makes me want to kill anyone that I even think looks at me sideways. It's like tren but worse in the way it makes me feel.

I'm taking 5 different meds for this, one of which is Humira, and there are still days where every time I shit it looks like a murder scene in the toilet from how much blood I lose. It fucking suck but I'm dealing with it. I'm typing this after just returning from the gym and having a decent bench workout. Hang in there BIO.
 

*Bio*

Super Moderator
Oct 30, 2012
2,454
5
38
Mine pales in comparison to yours but I have Ulcerative Colitis and it's actually kicking my fucking ass right now. I've bee on high dose Prednisone for 2 months and I can feel myself getting weaker from it. I've also been losing weight from the UC. Couple that with the fact that Prednisone makes my anxiety almost uncontrollable and makes me want to kill anyone that I even think looks at me sideways. It's like tren but worse in the way it makes me feel.

I'm taking 5 different meds for this, one of which is Humira, and there are still days where every time I shit it looks like a murder scene in the toilet from how much blood I lose. It fucking suck but I'm dealing with it. I'm typing this after just returning from the gym and having a decent bench workout. Hang in there BIO.

Pit it's not about comparing. I wouldn't want to go through that you're going through. I have to be careful to because I have the HLA-B27 gene that is also responsible for IBS, Colitis, etc. I really hope you get this under control.

Look up Low Dose Naltrexone. It's just another tool in the tool box. It has to be Low Dose though, very specific.
 

MR. BMJ

AnaSCI VIP / Donating Member
Sep 24, 2006
1,689
2
38
Bio, it's guys like yourself, who give people like me with minor issues, a reason to keep moving forward. With all you have been through, you are seriously both an inspirational success, and motivating, story to reflect back on:cool:

Myself...

-2 hernia surgeries
-Jacked-up shoulders, especially my right one where I fell on it straight on concrete in 2016.
-Cholecytectomy (very minor)
-KIDS...LMAO!!!
-Depression and anxiety bouts

-And probably the worse one I have is whenever I get too stressed out, usually coupled with lack of sleep and recovery, I get cold sore breakouts in my throat, and it puts me down HARD. It's seriously the most frustrating thing I have to deal with. When I get a break-out, I feel like I have hypoxia and lack of sleep and feel like an airhead. It also fukks with my head and makes me feel depressed with more anxiety. The desire to train hard and intense is still there, but if I don't have my cards lined up, my immune system takes a dump, and this shit puts me down for a good week. It's hard to even explain, and I usually don't even waste my time on it as people just laugh at it, and I feel like a pussy afterward, LOL. Taking anti-virals only helps a little bit it seems. That said, I keep pushing forward:D
 

*Bio*

Super Moderator
Oct 30, 2012
2,454
5
38
Bio, it's guys like yourself, who give people like me with minor issues, a reason to keep moving forward. With all you have been through, you are seriously both an inspirational success, and motivating, story to reflect back on:cool:

Myself...

-2 hernia surgeries
-Jacked-up shoulders, especially my right one where I fell on it straight on concrete in 2016.
-Cholecytectomy (very minor)
-KIDS...LMAO!!!
-Depression and anxiety bouts

-And probably the worse one I have is whenever I get too stressed out, usually coupled with lack of sleep and recovery, I get cold sore breakouts in my throat, and it puts me down HARD. It's seriously the most frustrating thing I have to deal with. When I get a break-out, I feel like I have hypoxia and lack of sleep and feel like an airhead. It also fukks with my head and makes me feel depressed with more anxiety. The desire to train hard and intense is still there, but if I don't have my cards lined up, my immune system takes a dump, and this shit puts me down for a good week. It's hard to even explain, and I usually don't even waste my time on it as people just laugh at it, and I feel like a pussy afterward, LOL. Taking anti-virals only helps a little bit it seems. That said, I keep pushing forward:D

Shoulder issues are no joke. I don't have any...yet...LOL...but the guys I know that do, it's a real problem. That stuff with the throat, that's exactly the kind of thing I'm talking about. Recurring stuff like that can really take a toll on someone mentally. I have chronic pain and do well for the most part but have my moments where it breaks me down.

You're a good man BMJ hang in there! The weights aren't going anywhere!!
 

Jim550

Registered User
Oct 26, 2012
555
0
16
Thanks for making this thread BIO, it helps hearing what others have gone through and gives me great encouragement. Today I went for my follow up with the surgeon and said everything looks excellent. A ran*** guy/patient came up to me today and told me to just keep at it and I will be feeling great again and gave a lot of encouraging advice and told me he has had 9 back surgeries but none of them or anything will keep him down!
 

Jim550

Registered User
Oct 26, 2012
555
0
16
by the way sent you a PM BIO, and I'll be posting some pics tomorrow in my back surgery thread
 

Concreteguy

Super Moderator
Mar 12, 2013
2,608
0
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Pa
I really enjoyed reading all the posts here. Makes me wish we had a (LIKE) tab to click. My shoulders are both semi locked up from laying in a hospital bed for over a month with no PT. I'm undergoing PT now to correct this and wow is it painful. The coma cycosous spelling is still a major problem with sleep.
Honestly BIO, Your posting about what your dealing with made me cringe. I feel terrible for you. I promise you I will pray for your condition to be more forgiving.
 

*Bio*

Super Moderator
Oct 30, 2012
2,454
5
38
I really enjoyed reading all the posts here. Makes me wish we had a (LIKE) tab to click. My shoulders are both semi locked up from laying in a hospital bed for over a month with no PT. I'm undergoing PT now to correct this and wow is it painful. The coma cycosous spelling is still a major problem with sleep.
Honestly BIO, Your posting about what your dealing with made me cringe. I feel terrible for you. I promise you I will pray for your condition to be more forgiving.

Thanks CG! What you went through and are still going through has been A LOT!! A lot of people would just give up and find a spot on the couch or easy chair. Luckily all of us, the people in this thread, know how important the gym is both physically and mentally/emotionally.